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I don't disagree with you at all, but just to play devil's advocate, I suppose the argument could be made that Facebook has basically created a near-monopoly in
by tombert 5y ago
I don't disagree with you at all, but just to play devil's advocate, I suppose the argument could be made that Facebook has basically created a near-monopoly in the social media space, and if that's the case maybe they should be viewed as a "utility" than a regular unregulated business. For example, I don't think Con Edison [1] could kick me off my electricity (assuming I was paying my bill), even if I handed out pamphlets saying how to use less power, since Con Edison is a regulated utility.
Obviously this isn't a great comparison, you could make a much stronger argument for a "necessity" of electricity than a platform to share photos with friends, but that argument could be made that because of the ubiquity of Facebook (and subsidiaries), maybe they should be a free speech zone.
[1] NYC's biggest power company.
- piggybox 5y agoLet's turn Google search into a utility first. I think most people use it more often than FB.
- jakelazaroff 5y agoIf Facebook bans me, I can still use Twitter/Reddit/LinkedIn/TikTok/YouTube/WordPress/my own website. If Con Edison bans me, there are literally zero legal ways for me to make electricity come out of my wall sockets.
- tombert 5y agoThat's fair, Con Edison has an actual monopoly (more or less, it's weird and you can license third-party power), while Facebook just has a plurality of social media attention. Hell, I didn't even have a Facebook until last week when I bought my Oculus Quest (though I used a fake name and a burner email address), so clearly it's not vital. As I said before, i agree with the OP, I was just trying to entertain a different point of view.
- thehappypm 5y agoIn what way on Earth is Facebook a near-monopoly? TikTok and YouTube are also huge social networks.